Theft from mailboxes is a problem of considerable magnitude. As a consequence, a number of locking devices for mailboxes have been devised. The devices disclosed in the following United States patents are believed to be representative of the current state of the art in this field: U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,635, issued Nov. 3, 1987, U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,603, issued Jun. 8, 1982, U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,271, issued Nov. 30, 1982, U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,080, issued Jan. 21, 1986, U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,284, issued Sep. 1, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,115, issued Mar. 17, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,711, issued Oct. 15, 1991, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,512, issued Feb. 23, 1988.
Prior art arrangements are often characterized by their relative complexity and high cost. Furthermore, many such systems require that the postal carrier take steps over and above the actual delivery of the mail to implement and operate the systems. For example, prior art arrangements can require that the mail delivery person take special actions to lock the mailbox, unlock the mailbox, or both. This results in efficiency and a misuse of the deliverer's time. Cumulatively, this can result in a considerable increase in time and money expended by the postal service when servicing mailboxes.